Manchester City suspended Benjamin Mendy after Cheshire police confirmed the Frenchman has been charged with four counts of rape.
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English Premier League (EPL) giants Manchester City have decided to suspend defender Benjamin Mendy, after the footballer was charged with rape as confirmed by police. The France international is set to appear in court on Friday. He has been charged with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault against three people.
“The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has authorised Cheshire Constabulary to charge a man in connection with allegations of sexual assault. Benjamin Mendy, aged 27, has been charged with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. The charges relate to three complainants over the age of 16 and are alleged to have taken place between October 2020 and August 2021. Mendy has been remanded in police custody and is set to appear at Chester Magistrates’ Court on Friday, Aug. 27,” said a statement issued by Cheshire Police.
“Benjamin Mendy (DOB: 17/07/1994) has been charged with: Rape of a person over 16 years of age x 4, Sexual Assault x 1. The decision to charge has been made in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors. The function of the CPS is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for the criminal court to consider. The CPS assessment of any case is not in any sense a finding of, or implication of, any guilt or criminal conduct. It is not a finding of fact, which can only be made by a court, but rather an assessment of what it might be possible to prove to a court, in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors,” it added.
“This assessment is based on the evidence available arising out of the police investigation and not on the evidence that is likely to be gathered by the defence, and likely to be used to test the prosecution evidence. The CPS charging decision is therefore necessarily an assessment on the basis of the evidence that is available to the CPS at the time the decision is made. CPS prosecutors must also keep every case under review, so that they take account of any change in circumstances that occurs as the case develops, including what becomes known of the defence case. If appropriate, the CPS may change the charges or stop a case. No further information is available at this stage,” concluded the statement.
City further confirmed their decision to suspend the footballer with an update on the official website.
“Manchester City can confirm that following his being charged by police today, Benjamin Mendy has been suspended pending an investigation. The matter is subject to a legal process and the club is therefore unable to make further comment until that process is complete.”
Mendy’s suspension is certainly a massive blow for the footballer, who has battled poor form on the field as well in recent times. The defender drew criticism from former Manchester United defender Gary Neville, who admonished the French footballer’s performance in the Premier League opener against Tottenham Hotspur.
“Mendy can’t defend. He can’t defend. He’s so loose in his game and Man City have got [Oleksandr] Zinchenko and [Kyle] Walker on the bench,” said the Englishman as quoted by Sky Sports.
